Town-Crier Newspaper January 3, 2020

Page 1

FLAGS FOR THE CURE IN THE ACREAGE SEE STORY, PAGE 3

WESTLAKE ELECTION SET FOR MARCH 31 SEE STORY, PAGE 4

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TOWN-CRIER WELLINGTON • ROYAL PALM BEACH • LOXAHATCHEE • THE ACREAGE

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Wellington Board OKs Design Elements For Coach House

Volume 41, Number 1 January 3 - January 9, 2020

Serving Palms West Since 1980

A NEW YEAR’S EVE CELEBRATION

Wellington’s Architectural Review Board met Wednesday, Dec. 18 for a two-item agenda, approving design plans for the new Coach House Wellington project and sending Wellington Marketplace representatives back to the drawing board for renderings of their recommended new paint scheme. Page 3

Chabad Of Wellington Hosts Fun Hanukkah Celebration At Olympia

Chabad of Wellington hosted a family-friendly Hanukkah Celebration on Sunday, Dec. 22 at the Olympia Clubhouse featuring face painting, balloon twisting, bounce houses, wall climbing, crafts for kids, holiday treats and live entertainment. Page 7 The Wellington Historical Society held its New Year’s Eve Gala on Tuesday, Dec. 31 at the Wellington National Golf Club. Attendees enjoyed cocktails, a surf-and-turf dinner and dancing before ringing in the new year at midnight. Shown above, Sue Bierer, Kendall Bierer, Chris Wendel, Joy Riley, Pam Strassner and Kandy Croft celebrate the new year. MORE PHOTOS, PAGE 5

Royal Palm Beach Chabad Celebrates Holiday Of Hanukkah

Chabad of Royal Palm Beach held a Hanukkah Celebration & Grand Menorah Lighting on Monday, Dec. 23, the second night of the Jewish holiday. The second candle was lit after a blessing by Rabbi Zevi Schtroks. Guests enjoyed a virtual reality tour of the Holy Temple, as well as latkes, donuts and gelt. Page 10

Wellington Basketball Team Competes In Holiday Tournament

From Friday, Dec. 27 through Monday, Dec. 30, the Palm Beach County Sports Commission held its annual Holiday Basketball Classic of the Palm Beaches invitational tournament in Palm Beach Gardens. The Palm Beach County Sports Commission has established a reputation for attracting top-level teams to Palm Beach County to compete, and the Wolverines placed third in the tournament. Page 21 DEPARTMENT INDEX NEWS...............................3 - 18 NEWS BRIEFS......................... 7 PEOPLE................................... 8 SCHOOLS................................ 9 COLUMNS............................. 16 BUSINESS............................. 17 CALENDAR............................ 18 CLASSIFIEDS................ 19 - 20 SPORTS...........................21, 23 Visit Us On The Web At WWW.GOTOWNCRIER.COM

More Road And Drainage Improvements Planned For Loxahatchee Groves In 2020

By Ron Bukley Town-Crier Staff Report Roads and drainage — rebuilding and repairing Loxahatchee Groves’ infrastructure — will remain at the forefront of the town’s plans for 2020. Getting the Loxahatchee Groves Town Council’s meeting agenda down to a manageable size is also a key goal for Town Manager Jamie Titcomb. “On Tuesday of next week, just prior to the Jan. 7 council meeting, we have the gentleman who was the visioning [session] counselor, Mr. [Kevin] Knudson, in town and meeting with each of the council members briefly before the workshop that night,” Titcomb told the Town-Crier on Monday. “I believe he is going to be catching up with each of the council members and probably making some sort of conversation at the workshop portion of the meeting with a recap of the visioning event and the next steps. It will be to the benefit of

the council and the public to see where the priority items are from the outcome of that.” Also on the Jan. 7 agenda will be authorizations and updates on B Road drainage improvements to finalize for legislative funding requests, Titcomb said, explaining that this year’s legislative session is early. “The legislative session will be kicking off the second week in January and run through the first week in March. We have several road appropriations and infrastructure projects queued up through the lobbyist and priorities of the council to go to the legislature for potential funding,” he said, explaining that the town recently gained State Rep. Matt Willhite’s support for road projects that include $770,000 for improvements to South D Road that include guardrails on the canal side and improved drainage. “I think four house bills passed their first committee stops in pre-

committee meetings,” Titcomb said. The bills making their way through the legislature are for a North Road equestrian/multi-use trail, canal system rehabilitations, South D Road improvements and North B Road improvements. “I do anticipate a few of the council members attending Palm Beach County Days the second week of January,” Titcomb said. “It is held the first week of the legislative session to advocate for these bills and these appropriations. Me and the lobbyist will be up there to help them through that process.” Also on the January agenda is the second reading of the Groves Town Center amendments, which include the realignment of a proposed town commons area, removal of an internal access point to the north on B Road and the addition of water catchment areas. Additional drainage improvements See LOX 2020, page 4

Improved Roads, Culverts And Rec Top 2020 Vision For Indian Trail

By Ron Bukley Town-Crier Staff Report The Indian Trail Improvement District has a full plate of goals for 2020, including an increased effort at road and culvert improvements that was put into motion in 2019. “We’re going to be focused on improving the district’s operations overall,” ITID Executive Director Burgess Hanson told the TownCrier on Monday. “The first item will be to implement that third culvert crew and get those positions hired as quickly as possible and the equipment out on the street. We want to focus on improving the infrastructure of not only the culverts, but also the roads with traffic calming.” ITID is also involved with a Florida Department of Transportation traffic-calming project that will be starting in 2020. “So, we will be working in coordination with FDOT on that,” Hanson said. The district will also re-orient its recreation department to be more focused on recreation programming for the community. “We’re hoping that a group of equestrians in the community will be able to put together what they call WEST, which is the Western Equestrians Show & Trail organization,” he said. Hanson explained that WEST would be a private service provider supporting projects in The Acreage. “Our goal would be to work with them to get the equestrian trails and Nicole Hornstein Equestrian Park up to better standards, so equestrians can use not only the trails, but also be able to better utilize the equestrian park, the arenas and try to coordinate with them for shows and clinics, and some level of horse programming there,” he said. The district also plans to open

up its M-1 impoundment area for fishing on a more regular basis. “Last November, over Thanksgiving weekend, we opened up the M-2. It was kind of a trial run because we’re going to open up the M-1 impoundment for recreational fishing, catch and release, and then once we have an established program, we’re hoping that we can coordinate with other organizations to put on a tournament there,” Hanson explained. He added that ITID also hopes to coordinate with the nearby J.W. Corbett Wildlife Management Area to put on nature-related programming. Another key initiative will be ITID working with the Treasure Coast Regional Planning Council on the district’s master plan. “Part of that also ties into pedestrian, bicyclist and equestrian trails as well,” Hanson said. “There’s a cross-section with the Parks & Recreation Department to make sure that we have safe and meaningful trails throughout the district that actually connect parks and connect the district, not just for vehicular movement, but also for pedestrian, bicycle and equestrian uses.” ITID will hold its first public meeting on the master plan sometime in February, he said. The district will also work with County Commissioner Melissa McKinlay and the Palm Beach Transportation Planning Agency to get the State Road 7 extension from Okeechobee Blvd. to Northlake Blvd. back on the long-range transportation plan, and ensure that county roadway projects are done in a manner that is consistent with the quality of life for Acreage residents. “The other thing we will be See ITID 2020, page 7

CAFCI WELCOMES 2020

Wellington Will Keep An Eye On The Future In Village’s 25th Anniversary Year

By M. Dennis Taylor Town-Crier Staff Report An election year in Wellington usually signifies an intense political battle with well-funded candidates battling it out for control. But this year, not so much. 2020 could have been a year with a majority of the Wellington Village Council on the ballot in March. Instead, a lack of challengers led to the cancellation of the entire election cycle — a first for the 25-year-old municipality. To Village Manager Paul Schofield, that means that residents are largely satisfied, and things seem to be going pretty well in the community. Wellington’s finances are the

envy of other communities and crime is down — not a bad way to start a year with a key village milestone. Schofield said that in the coming year, the village will be doing things to ensure it remains a great place to raise a family, even after that family’s children have grown and left home. “There are many things coming up,” Schofield said. “There is a lot — it’s our 25th anniversary year.” The on-going Parks & Recreation Master Plan will be completed, as will the plan for the Town Center area. “Our parks are in really good shape, and we want to keep it

that way. We will be looking to complete those plans,” Schofield said. “We will also be developing a budget for the Town Center.” The largest recreation project taking place in 2020 will be the one that the council spent much of 2019 discussing. “We have the new fields that are being built at Wellington High School,” Schofield said. “And as our infrastructure ages, we will be replacing and rehabilitating facilities for the water and the well fields.” The facilities used by Wellington’s law enforcement agency, supplied under contract by the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s See WELLINGTON, page 4

Caribbean-Americans for Community Involvement (CAFCI) held its annual New Year’s Eve Ball on Tuesday, Dec. 31 at the Royal Palm Beach Cultural Center. Guests enjoyed a delicious buffet and a champagne toast at midnight. A DJ provided music for dancing the night away. Shown above, Monica and Lloyd “Chef G” Grant toast the new year. MORE PHOTOS, PAGE 15 PHOTO BY DENISE FLEISCHMAN/TOWN-CRIER

Royal Palm Beach Looks Ahead To 2020 And Beyond

By Callie Sharkey Town-Crier Staff Report The Village of Royal Palm Beach begins 2020 both reflecting upon the past and setting goals for the future. Fresh from celebrating its 60th anniversary in 2019, Royal Palm Beach officials welcome the new year with new initiatives, high hopes and an upbeat attitude. “We have the best residents. It’s the residents who live here that help make this a special place to come to raise their children, or a place to retire,” Mayor Fred Pinto said. “That’s always how our village has grown over the years, providing a place to raise your family and have your retired family members live in the same community. We look forward to

serving them in the coming year.” A variety of successful events ranging from movie nights to a weekly green market keep the community connected throughout the year. Royal Palm Beach’s recent Winterfest event alone saw a tremendous turnout with more than 15,000 people. “We continue to look for ways to improve existing events and add new, exciting events while keeping the costs affordable,” said Village Manager Ray Liggins, who believes that the village offers something for everyone. “Find something that appeals to you and come join the fun.” A milestone for the village in 2019 was the celebration of the 60th anniversary of its incorpora-

tion in 1959. The village took time to reflect upon the past and thank individuals key to the success of the community. But the celebration was also a jumping-off point for the new decade ahead. “We are looking to the future. When you look at the first 60 years, we want to do things now so the next 60 years will be the best,” Pinto said. “This is one of the reasons for going forward with the project to build a new Village Hall. We want to put something in place that will be here for the next 30 or 40 years.” Late last month, the council authorized Liggins to enter into an agreement with an architectural firm that will redesign the Village Hall complex to create a new,

hurricane-proof facility for the village’s administration. There remains much to be done before breaking ground on such a project, but Pinto hopes the plans will be complete by the end of 2020. Another big project on the horizon is the formal integration of Palms West Hospital into the village. “I’m hoping that in the first quarter of 2020, we complete the process of bringing Palms West into the village. It’s a great move for the village, and it’s a great move for the hospital,” Pinto said. “They are going to expand the facility and build on the property. One of the things they are focusing on is becoming a nationally recognized place for treating acute illnesses in children.”

Other new initiatives involve the presentation of a projected traffic impact study on Madrid Circle in La Mancha, opening its connection to State Road 7 as an exitonly road, the installation of more security cameras and license plate readers throughout the village and the completion of street lighting on Okeechobee Blvd. Royal Palm Beach is also continuing its efforts to offer more services for senior citizens. “The Capstone opening on Okeechobee Blvd. will be the village’s first assisted living and memory care facility available to village residents,” Liggins noted. A program that began in 2019 but will ramp up during 2020 is See RPB IN 2020, page 4


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